NAPHTHALENE


Meaning of NAPHTHALENE in English

/ ˈnæfθəliːn; NAmE also ˈnæpθə-/ noun

[ U ] ( chemistry ) a substance used in products that keep moths away from clothes, and in industrial processes

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WORD ORIGIN

early 19th cent.: from naphtha + -ene , with the insertion of -l- for ease of pronunciation.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.